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over medium heat. Add the leeks and fry until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove the sausage meat from the casings and add it to the leeks. Cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until it is well browned, about 5 minutes. Add the wine, scraping up any brown bits. Slice three of the figs and stir them into the mixture; quarter and reserve the other two figs for garnish. Simmer the sausage-fig mixture until it is thick, about 20 minutes.
Boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. Drain and toss in the sauce, along with several tablespoons of the cooking water, until well combined. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with cheese and the reserved fig quarters.
ITALIAN BLACK FIGS
This recipe is from Caneva, an area in Friuli-Venezia Giulia in northern Italy renowned for its delicious black figs. The area’s climate, combined with the soil’s particular minerality, creates some of Italy’s most highly sought-after figs, rich in flavor and with a soft, delicious skin. The figs are characterized by their exceptionally sweet taste and elongated shape. Not to be missed is the Figo Moro Festival there each year.



VELVETY ROASTED EGGPLANT & FIGS WITH PANTACCE
    { Pantacce con fichi e melanzane }
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    SERVES 4 | REGION: Southern and parts of central Italy
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A play between sweet and bitter, eggplant and figs are extraordinary together. The eggplant is baked whole, then mashed with garlic, oregano, olive oil, and figs. The resulting smoky, sweet, creamy mix is tossed with pasta and garnished with more figs.
You can enjoy this dazzling dish all year long by substituting dried figs, if fresh aren’t available. Just steep them in hot wine until tender, drain, then follow the directions as with fresh. I especially like this dish with pantacce , which look like miniature curly-edged lasagna sheets, but it’s terrific with any shape.
2 eggplants, about 1 pound (455 g) each
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound (455 g) pantacce or any pasta, preferably Rustichella d’Abruzzo brand
2 garlic cloves, minced
Sprigs fresh oregano
Olive oil
8 fresh figs
Aged pecorino cheese, grated
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Bake the whole unpeeled eggplants on a baking sheet for about 1 hour, until very soft and collapsed. Scoop out the flesh, removing any seeds, and press it through a food mill or puree it in a food processor until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta in salted water until it is al dente. Drain.
Meanwhile, in a skillet large enough to later toss the pasta, warm the garlic and 4 oregano sprigs in ¼ cup (60 ml) oil for a few minutes, until fragrant, then discard the oregano. Stir in the eggplant. Thinly slice four of the figs and add them to the eggplant. Cut the remaining figs into quarters and reserve for garnish.
Toss the pasta into the eggplant along with some pecorino to taste. Top with a drizzle of oil, the reserved fig sections, and additional sprigs of oregano. Garnish with more shaved pecorino, if you like.



SPAGHETTI WITH ORANGES, DATES & ANCHOVIES
    { Spaghetti con arance, datteri e acciughe }
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    SERVES 4 | REGION: Northern and central Italy
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One forkful was all it took to catapult this fabulous mix of sweet and savory to the top of my favorite fruit and pasta list. The unusual combination of dates and anchovies was inspired by Michelin star–winner Chef Carlo Cracco, whose virtuosic appetizers of anchovy-stuffed dates are fried in a batter made with panettone, an Italian sweet yeast cake with a fruity aroma of raisins and candied oranges. That dish has inspired many Italian home cooks to convert the ingredient mix into this remarkable pasta dish.
½ cup (56 g) homemade coarsely ground breadcrumbs, toasted
Olive oil
1 pound (455 g) spaghetti or other long pasta, preferably Benedetto Cavalieri brand
4 oil-packed anchovy filets
1 ½ cups (360 ml) white wine
5 tablespoons tomato paste
12 dried dates, thinly sliced
Zest of 1 orange, cut into long strips
Put the